What Is At The Bottom Of Our Troubles?

People have always struggled with this age-old question: What is at the bottom of our troubles?

No matter how hard we try, education and money never seem to erase our troubles. Instead, they seem to increase our awareness of them. The poorest as well as the richest are affected.

An inner voice keeps telling us something is missing. We feel out of tune with the Almighty God to whom we are accountable.

The Real Cause
Our troubles are only symptoms. The real cause is sin, or rebellion against God’s will. Self-will rises up against God and His sovereign rights over us.

Sin in the heart works itself out in the life in different degrees and ways; but the results are the same – wrong doing because of wrong choosing.

Sin not only offends God, but it also harms the sinner: “He who sins … wrongs his own soul” (Proverbs 8:36 NKJV). We are warned that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The effects of sin are sure, both here and in the hereafter.

Death No Cure
Men would like to think that all their troubles end when they die; but death is no cure for sin, nor does it end the misery of the sinner. According to Revelation 21:8, all unrepentant sinners “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

We know men suffer now because of sin. But consider what sin will mean in the hereafter, when all this world’s interests, excitements and illusions are over, and the unrepentant soul experiences the dread reality of God’s judgment for sin!

We cannot save ourselves – our soul’s enemy is too strong for us. There is no remedy for sin in political changes, environmental changes, physical and mental changes or scientific advances. Codes of honor or ethics do not work either.

The Only Cure
Only the One whom we have sinned against can save us from the burden and penalty of our sin: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven … by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Only the death of Jesus Christ could pay the overwhelming debt of sin and secure for us divine forgiveness: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Christ is eager to save you: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The Choice Is Yours
Do you want to be free from the guilt and power of sin? Then come to the Lord Jesus now and confess your sins to Him, believing that He suffered and died to take them away. He promised, “The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).

Won’t you come to Him right now? We can tell you how.

“Is the Christian faith a ‘blind’ faith?”

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

QUESTION:Is the Christian faith a “blind” faith?

ANSWER: The Christian faith is not another religion among the thousands of religions in this world. Instead, it is essentially a relationship with the One who proclaims Himself to be the Light of the World and promises that anyone who follows Him will not walk in darkness. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (John 8:12 NKJV). He was “the True Light … which, coming into the world, is light to every man” (1:9 footnote, JND). Here we can fittingly apply the words of David in Psalm 36:9: “In Thy light shall we see light.”

“Light” is one of the key words in the Gospel of John, along with “life” and “love.” Throughout its chapters we see again and again the battle between light and darkness. Religious leaders were stumbling in darkness in chapter 1 and trying to pin down John the Baptist as to who he was. John pointed to One whom they did not know but was coming. A few verses after this answer, the Light came onto the scene. When John proclaimed Him to be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (v.29) and “the Lamb of God” (v.36), the bystanders seemingly paid no attention to Him.

But two of John’s disciples, having heard his declarations, followed Him. When the Lord inquired what they were seeking, they answered, “Where are You staying” (v.38 NKJV). He replied, “Come and see” (v.39). These disciples then gave the same invitation to others to bring them to Jesus. Throughout this gospel, in one personal encounter after another, we hear this invitation repeated:

  • Philip to Nathanael – “Come and see” (v.46),
  • The Samaritan woman to the men of her city – “Come, see a Man who told me …” (4:29), and
  • Jesus to His listeners – “… comes to Me …” (6:35,37, 7:37).

In John 9 we see a man born blind become seeing. Initially there was obedience to the word of the Lord. Then, as he was questioned by the enemies of the Lord, we see him growing in his understanding of who the Lord is until finally the Lord revealed Himself to him, and he is found worshiping Him. The Lord built on this at the very end of John 9 and into chapter 10, showing that coming into relationship with Him is a pathway of increasing light, while walking according to the traditions of the religious teachers is a matter of following blind leaders.

Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead in John 11, came out of the cave where he had been buried, bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus commanded that he be loosed from all these impediments. He could then walk intelligently, and consequently in John 12 we find him sitting at the table with Jesus, but he was also then an object of the enmity of the spiritually blind religious leaders.

John 13 through 17 present us with the final hours of the day before the Lord’s crucifixion. We see the Lord occupied with His followers, first showing them His loving concern by cleansing and refreshing them, then pointing out their weaknesses when they are self-confident. He went on to tell them about the dwelling places in the Father’s house He was about to prepare for them and continued from there to tell them about the Holy Spirit who would take His (Christ’s) place in guiding and aiding them in His absence. He told them too of the Father, who loved them, who pruned them to make them fruitful, and to whom they could come in His name with their petitions and needs. He warned them that they, like He, will encounter the world’s hatred and enmity, but they heard Him praying for them and expressing His appreciation for them as He prayed to the Father.

A little later that night Jesus was arrested and given a completely unrighteous trial by the Jewish Sanhedrin and then in the morning by the Roman governor. He was crucified, buried and rose again – appearing to different ones of His own. His final words in this gospel are “You follow Me” (21:22).

No, the Christian faith is not a blind faith. It is an intelligent walk with the Lord Jesus Christ – a pathway of joy and satisfaction while sharing the reproach and rejection of the One who came as light into this world, which lays in deep darkness. “Follow Me!” is something He still says to His own. You will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. In the words of King Solomon in Proverbs 4:18, ”The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

2 Thessalonians

By Leslie M. Grant

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.” — 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NKJV

Second Thessalonians, like 1 Thessalonians, is pastoral in character. It deals with those subtle influences that so soon threatened to rob this young assembly of its fresh, ardent affection for the Lord, as well as its vigorous faith and endurance of persecution. Faithfully the apostle warns of the future coming of the Antichrist, but even at that time, the “mystery of lawlessness” (2:7) was at work to undermine what was of God. Therefore added to the refreshing encouragement of the first epistle are faithful admonitions, the seasoning of salt, to preserve the testimony of God.

Letters supposed to have come from Paul had told the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord (not “of Christ”) had come. These letters were a crafty deceit of the enemy by which he sought to undermine their confidence as to Christ’s coming first for the Church (the rapture) before the awesome day of His judgment of the world. Paul corrected this, and chapter 2 is a most striking prophetic Scripture about the Day of the Lord, which cannot take place until the Church has been removed to heaven.

In contrast to the evil works and words of Antichrist, who will sit in the future temple as god (v.4), the saints are encouraged to be established in every good work and word. Second Thessalonians is a book therefore to give us spiritual discernment and firmness regarding those things that would tend to lower Christian testimony. Again, the Lord’s coming is prominent in every chapter.

Responses

I just finished reading the magazine and was blessed by every article. Be assured, I am praying for everyone of you and this literature ministry always. – Nigeria

I am very glad for the July / August 2017 magazine, and want to thank God for using you and your ministry as a blessing to me. – South Africa

Just last week my nephew told me that he is encouraged by your magazine. He wants to let you know. I want you to know that many people have been blessed by it. “Be steadfast … your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58 NKJV) – Myanmar

Why Did Jesus Come? Part Three: He Came To Call Sinners

By Shereen Ghobrial

And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Mark 2:17 ESV

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” —Luke 5:32

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Matthew 9:13

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” —Luke 19:10

Biel/Bienne* is a city in Switzerland that is very much associated with precision and micro mechanics, especially in the watch making industry. Many watch-making companies started in this city, including big names such as Swatch, Omega SA and Rolex. A number of other cities in Switzerland are involved in watch making, but most of them get their “movement” parts from Biel/Bienne.

I have not visited Biel/Bienne, but I imagine the people there to be very punctual and neat. They are probably overall precise and accurate in their communication and manner of life. How am I making such a conclusion? By knowing what they produce and what they are good at doing. Their personality and style of life are reflected in the industry in which they excel.

Why would a watch company be picky regarding the precision of the movement parts of its watches? The main goal and function of a watch is to give the time in a very precise way. Imagine having a watch that is made of gold and looks very nice, but it advances one extra minute every hour. That means by the end of the day your watch will be ahead by 24 minutes, and after two days it will be ahead by nearly one hour. If you get such a watch from a reputable company you would consider the watch to be no good and seek a replacement. In spite of the beautiful looks of the watch, it would be considered defective for it does not meet the purpose for which it was made.

Now let us consider man instead of the watch, and use the word “sin” instead of “defective.”

What Is Sin?
God created man in His image to rule the world and reflect the moral glories of God; for example, to be intelligent, loving and holy. By reflecting God’s glories, or displaying His attributes, man would glorify God. However, man missed that goal, deciding to seek his own desires instead. The result is every one of us was diverted to a different path.

The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). By going my own way, I have missed the main goal for which I was created, and that is what the Bible calls “sin.” “Sin is lawlessness” (1 Jn. 3:4), which means I do not abide by any law, but by my own desire and will instead.

The Result Of Sin
God warned Adam regarding the result of sin when He told him, “[From] the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Because Adam sinned, mankind was put under the judgment of death in all aspects of life: physically, spiritually and eternally.

When a child is born, he immediately starts experiencing death in his or her body. Old cells die; germs and viruses attack the weak human body, and the body ages. In time, signs of death creep into the wrinkled skin and the gray hair. Finally, “it is appointed for man to die once” (Heb. 9:27). This is the physical death which is a result of sin, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Another type of death is spiritual or moral death, which resulted from the separation from God. When man sinned he lost his open communication with his Creator, and as a result he lost the enjoyment and privilege of reflecting God’s moral attributes. This is the reason we see evil in the whole world, because we have people who are spiritually dead.

Paul gave a good description of them in Romans 3:13-18: “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” These are whom the Lord Jesus referred to when He said, “Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead” (Mt. 8:22). He was saying to let the spiritually dead bury their own relatives that are physically dead.

The third type of death is eternal death in the lake of fire. The apostle John wrote: “Then I saw a great white throne … And I saw the dead, great and the small, standing before the throne … and they were judged, each one of them according, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-14). After living a life marked with spiritual death and ending with physical death, the unrepentant sinner will end up in eternal death by suffering judgment in the lake of fire.

Going back to our watch analogy, think of the watch that advances one extra minute every hour. Is the watch defective because of what is does, or does the watch advance one extra minute every hour because it is defective? It is the latter option. The fact the watch is malfunctioning is a mere symptom of the internal defectiveness of the watch. For mankind, our physical, moral and eternal death is the natural result and divine punishment for our internal defectiveness, meaning our sinful nature. It is the nature we acquired because of Adam’s sin and not because God made us this way.

Who are sinners? The Bible gives a clear, but hard answer: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). This includes you and me – all human beings with the one exception being the heavenly Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. That means we are under the judgment of:

  • Physical death – suffering from diseases, aging and bodily death,
  • Spiritual death – immorality and bad habits, and
  • Eternal death – in the lake of fire.

Can Religion Help Me To Escape Death?
Although people associate religion with God, the Bible clearly indicates it was man who invented religion, not God. This is seen in the first religious man, Cain, when he tried to approach God by his human effort and in his own way (Gen. 4:1-5). Man uses religion to give himself a false feeling of security.

In the Old Testament, God had given the children of Israel a great privilege, which was His law. He gave them instructions to regulate their relationship with Him and among themselves. That worship included sacrifices, a tabernacle, a temple and, most importantly, the Levites and priests. In all the instructions and regulations, God was always looking for worshipers, not the worship itself.

For example, the tabernacle had many pieces that would be disassembled and carried during the desert journey. Most, but not all, of those pieces could have been carried on carriages. However, the pieces in the Holy and Holiest of Holy had to be carried by the men of a certain family of a particular tribe; not on horses, carriages or any other means. It was one of God’s ways to communicate His desire to have this intimate relationship with the worshipers. He even declared His ownership over them, saying, “The Levites shall be Mine” (Num. 3:12).

We may ask, “How about sacrifices, singing and praise, and other rituals that were practiced in the tabernacle and the temple?” They were only needed to express what was in the worshiper’s heart. A sacrifice is an expression of a repenting heart; a prayer is an expression of a needy heart, and praise is an expression of a heart in awe and delight. David realized this truth when he said, “For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17).

The Lord Jesus clearly indicated that point in His discussion with the Samaritan woman. When she asked Him about the required details of worship, He answered her question and added, “The Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (Jn. 4:23). He did not say the Father is seeking “such worship,” but “such people to worship Him.” The Darby translation says, “The Father seeks such as His worshippers.”

Religion cannot help because it provides mere rituals, which is what Cain offered and was rejected. God is seeking a repentant and broken heart, one that realizes the total uselessness of self-effort and work, for “we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isa. 64:6 ESV). Repentance is the first step to escape death, but it is not enough.

He Came To Call Sinners
Jesus came to call sinners (Mk. 2:17). He is the only One who can make that confident call – a call to come to Him. Once we realize our inability to escape from death, we see our need of the Savior. Jesus is the Savior, having paid the debt of our sin by His death on the cross. God considered Jesus the ultimate sin offering, and because He offered Himself He can call on every sinner to escape from death.

God is calling everyone, but it is our individual responsibility to accept this call. The Bible clearly states that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). However, He respects our wills. Sin is our own responsibility if we do not accept His call and invitation.

Are you a sinner? Jesus came to call you! Now is the right time to accept Him into your life.

ENDNOTE
* Biel is the German name of the city and Bienne is its French name. Since 2005, the city’s official name has been “Biel/Bienne.”

What Is Your Attitude Toward Your Household?

By H. A. Ironside (adapted from “Addresses On The Book Of Joshua,” pp.32-34)

“And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. ” —Joshua 2:13 KJV

In this request Rahab showed a remarkable understanding of the desire of the God of Israel, for all through Scripture we see it is the purpose of God: His desire and will is to save His people in families, in households. If He shows mercy to one person in a household it is an indication that He wants to save every member of that family. Speaking of the coming judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, God said of Abraham, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? … For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him” (Gen. 18:17,19).
Oh, Christian fathers and mothers, what about your attitude toward your households? Have you recognized your responsibility? Are you acting for God in the home to command your children after you? I know we live in a day of self-expression when we are taught that we should not quell the natural desires of our children, and most of us have given way to this teaching. As a result we have unconverted children in our homes, whose ways are the expression of their vile, wicked, corrupt natures. Scripture says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15).

Mrs. William Booth, wife of the first general of the Salvation Army, who reared a large family of eight children, claimed every one of them for God before they were born. She used to say, “I refuse to bring any child into the world to be damned in hell at last” (See 2 Th. 2:12). In their early days some of those children thought their mother was rather stern and hard because she would not allow them to go into the things of the world like other children, but the day came when every one of them thanked their mother for standing between them and the world, and all grew up to preach Christ and seek to bring others to Him.

A tremendous responsibility rests on parents in these matters. Too many parents say, “I will let my child go just so far in the ways of the world, and I hope eventually he will come to God,” only to learn that later on he does not desire to know God at all. Your child may rebel against your correction, but he will thank you for it later on when he has come to know the Lord. Your child may look upon you as old-fashioned, but when at last he has turned to Christ for salvation then he will indeed thank you for ever having sought to lead him in the way of righteousness.

Rahab was a poor woman who had gone down into the depth of sin, but now had turned to God, and her heart cried out for the deliverance of her loved ones; so she pleaded for her household.

In the New Testament we read of the Philippian jailor who came thinking only of himself. He cried out, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Apparently his family was gathered about him, and Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31). That night there was great rejoicing in that house. The whole household was brought to faith in Christ and they confessed His name in baptism.

If you are the only saved member in your household, lay hold of God and in faith cry to Him for salvation for the other members of your family. Live Christ before them and look to God to bring them all to Himself. In this we may closely emulate the faith of Rahab.

Lessons From The Book Of Titus

By Alfred Bouter

How amazing is God’s Word! No matter how we look at it, search and study it, we will always find that it is wonderful because God is Wonderful (Isa. 9:6). This includes the epistle that the apostle Paul wrote to Titus.
The name Titus probably means “nurse,” which fits his service quite well. Even though Titus was not Jewish, Paul called him his “true child” (Ti. 1:4 NASB), as he was saved early in Paul’s public ministry as apostle to the Gentiles (see Gal. 2:8). Some years later Titus and others accompanied the apostle to the Jerusalem council meeting (Acts 15), although this may not have been his first time there (Gal. 2:1-3)1.
During the apostle’s third missionary journey, Paul sent Titus, as a useful servant, to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:13, 7:6,13-14). Titus also helped organize a special collection for the poor in Jerusalem and Judea (8:6,16,23, 12:18). The donations were collected in Macedonia and Greece and brought to Jerusalem near the end of Paul’s third journey (Acts 20-21; Rom. 15:25-27).

However, shortly after his arrival there Paul was arrested and put on trial, first in Jerusalem, and later for at least two years in Caesarea. The trial continued, eventually ending in Rome2
(Acts 22-28), where he remained for two full years (28:30-31). After his release from prison the apostle must have traveled extensively (Rom. 15:24,28), of which we have no details in Acts and only some hints in a few Epistles. At some point Paul left Timothy in Ephesus, while he traveled further (1 Tim. 1:3).

Titus accompanied the apostle during his ministry in Crete,3 a large island situated in the Mediterranean Sea southwest of Greece. For a long period of time, beginning about 4,000 years ago, Crete had been considered to be a place of cultural greatness. Having ministered there, Paul left Titus on the island with instructions to put certain things “in order” (Ti. 1:5).

A few years later Paul was arrested and sent to Rome to be put on trial, having been falsely accused of a serious crime (2 Tim. 1:8,12,15-18). He found himself in difficult circumstances, much harder than the two years in Rome about five years earlier (Acts 28:30-31; Phil. 1:15-18). Several people visited him between the various sessions of this trial (see 2 Tim. 4:16-18), including Onesimus (1:16) and others (4:10). Many departed from Paul’s teachings – which were and still are from God – in those days (2 Tim. 1:15), and Demas forsook him completely (4:10). After visiting Paul, others went on to serve elsewhere, while Luke remained faithfully with the apostle. Paul expected Timothy to arrive from Ephesus, bringing Mark (v.11). At some point during this difficult period Titus must have come to visit Paul in Rome on his way to Dalmatia (4:10). That region is on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea, where Paul may have been during his third missionary journey, having referred to Illyricum (Rom. 15:19).

A special bond existed between Paul and Titus. This is an example and encouragement for older and younger believers spiritually to walk, grow and serve the Lord together, in a relationship of mutual appreciation and commitment.

To Put Things In Order
When Paul had left Titus in Crete, he gave him specific instructions to put things in order among the assemblies – in the homes and in the community. As an apostle, Paul had God-given authority to appoint elders in the assemblies he had started together with Barnabas (Acts 14:23). Now he delegated this authority to Titus for the assemblies they had visited in Crete. From Acts 20 we know that the Holy Spirit placed elders in the midst of the flock of the Lord’s people as overseers, not over the flock (v.28).

The apostles and their delegates are no longer with us to choose or establish elders, but the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are present. God’s thoughts have not changed, and the resources needed to practice His desires are still with believers and will remain here until the Lord’s return. This implies a challenge for us today: Rely on Him in all things, instead of on man’s institutions or devices.

In his letter Paul introduced himself as a “bond-servant of God” (Ti. 1:1) – an example to Titus and to all believers to truly serve God, the Lord Jesus and His people. While being subject to the Emperor, as explained in Romans 13 and elsewhere, Paul was first and foremost God’s servant.

He described believers as God’s chosen or elect ones, having the knowledge of the truth and living godly lives with a sure hope (Ti. 1:1-2) in a world without it (Eph. 2:12). This reliable hope is good now and for eternity for all those who have received eternal life (Jn. 3:16) and are linked with God’s counsel, or purpose, from before the world’s foundation. It rests in “God, who cannot lie” (Ti. 1:2), and it is connected with His promise from before the ages (2 Tim. 1:1,9; Eph. 3:5-9) and His “eternal purpose” (v.11). All this gave Titus the right context in which the things that remained were to be “set in order” (Ti. 1:5). It is the same for us as we rely on help from the Savior-God.4

This short epistle with instructions to Titus for the benefit of the believers in Crete is of great significance to all believers. It contains precious gems and practical instructions. The believers are left in this world to represent God and, as children of God, to reflect His qualities and features. This applies especially to those in leadership positions, for the more they have received the more responsible these ones are and the clearer their light should shine.

The good qualities mentioned in this letter are to be seen in all believers, but first of all in the elders (overseers) and deacons (servants). God’s standards are very high; in fact, only the Lord Jesus as a perfect Man on this earth fully answered to them. However, God desires that all believers, not only elders and leaders, follow these norms and imitate our Lord’s perfect example even though we are not perfect.

The following outline shows how all believers are addressed in this epistle, and Titus in particular, in view of the tasks to instruct, help, lead, correct and encourage. In fact, God’s Word addresses all believers, giving lessons in all its instructions whether we are directly addressed or not. Reading slowly through the text, asking the Lord to bless His Word to us today, we will receive His blessing and encouragement. He can and will use what we read to instruct us about something that is on our minds.

Brief Outline of Titus5
I. Salutation (1:1-4)
II. Qualifications Of The Elders (1:5-9)
III. Characteristics Of The False Teachers (1:10-16)
IV. Godly Behavior For Different Groups (2:1-10)
A. Older men (2:1-2)
B. Older women (2:3)
C. Younger women (2:4-5)
D. Younger men (2:6-8)
E. Slaves (2:9-10)
V. Role Of Grace In Promoting Godly Behavior (2:11-3:11)
A. The educating power of grace (2:11-14)
B. The gracious behavior that results from grace (2:15-3:2)
C. Grace as a motivation for godly living (3:3-8)
D. Behavior inconsistent with grace (3:9-11)
VI. Final Instructions And Greetings (3:12-15)

A Few Remarkable Nuggets
Obviously in this short paper we cannot deal with all the different matters this epistle addresses. However, what becomes apparent when reading Titus is God’s desire that all Christians function according to His thoughts and plans, as His disciples and witnesses. His desire represents a tremendous challenge for all true believers, because Satan is totally against it as long as we are in his world. The place where we live today is in enemy territory; he is the “ruler of this world” (Jn. 14:30) and the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4 NKJV), opposing God’s testimony.

In this spiritual battle, he uses the same tactics (1 Jn. 2:16) as he did with Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-6). This is allowed by God, but with Him in firm control, for He is sovereign and above all. Trials allowed by God led Job, for example, to recognize God’s greatness (Job 42:2), and so it is for believers today. God wants all believers to be His witnesses. This is beautifully explained in Titus 2:11-15. First, the grace of God has appeared to all men. In other words, every man, woman and child is addressed by God in grace with His special offer of salvation. Those who accept it by faith, whether slaves or princes, are then instructed to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, just as 1 John 2:15-17 and many other passages explain. Right and upright conduct, in true self-judgment, is needed and will lead to further instruction in God’s school. This is intended for all believers.

We are in God’s school every day, and His teaching will lead us to:

          • Become sober, sensible, honest with ourselves, and self-controlled.
          • Act rightly with others, both Christians and non-Christians.
          • Be godly, or pious, with the right attitude in relation to God. This implies introducing God into every part of our lives and depending on Him.
          • Have the correct outlook on the future in accordance with God’s teaching on Christ’s coming for the Church, the Church meeting Him in the air, and being with Him forever in glory (1 Th. 4:14-17).
          • Understand in truth the work of redemption and its results.
          • Realize that we belong to Him.
          • Manifest the zeal of true love that expresses itself in actions for His honor.

The overall context of this passage is Paul’s teaching that Titus should urge the bond slaves to be subject to their own masters (Ti. 2:9). Instead of teaching social activism, Paul took the difficult situation which believing slaves experienced as an opportunity for them to promote God’s interests – to be living testimonies of the true Master. Such a behavior (see vv.9-10) would powerfully speak to their earthly masters, better than Paul could say in words. With a conduct of faith and faithfulness (v.10) the Christian slaves would adorn, or beautify, the doctrine of God our Savior. Their changed attitude would be a powerful testimony to their unbelieving masters of the power of God’s grace that changes lives (vv.11-15). Paul explained elsewhere that a slave may buy himself free; a master who has become a believer may even free his slaves, but rebellion, or rioting, is never an option.

God’s Desire For Us All
It is not only slaves who are placed in this world to shine for God. In Titus 3, Paul taught that all Christians need to be subject to rulers, including any authority placed over us by God, while showing respect to all fellow men. The apostle used seven key expressions to describe the right attitude (vv.1-2):

          1. Be subject,
          2. Obedient,
          3. Ready for every good work,
          4. Not maligning,
          5. Not contentious, but
          6. Gentle and
          7. Meek

These seven points summarize our new lifestyle, in contrast to the one before we were saved. The old lifestyle is summarized by seven other keywords in verse 3:

          1. Foolish,
          2. Disobedient,
          3. Deceived,
          4. Enslaved,
          5. Wasting time in evil and envy,
          6. Hateful and
          7. Hating one another.

These new and old lifestyles do not only refer to the slaves but to all human beings saved by the grace of God. Paul then summarized this grace with seven characteristic terms, as shown by the Savior-God in His kindness and love for mankind:

          1. He saved us, not by works of righteousness we did or might have done,
          2. But according to His mercy,
          3. Through the washing of regeneration by God’s Word …
          4. And by the renewing of the Holy Spirit …
          5. Whom He poured out abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
          6. As a result, we have been justified, or declared righteous, through God’s grace …
          7. As He made us heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Eternal Life
This is a wonderful gift, because the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, is the true God and the eternal life (1 Jn. 5:20). He is the Gift as well as the Giver. The moment we believed, God gave us the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12) and we received eternal life (3:16). Furthermore, we wait for the Lord Jesus to come again (1 Th. 4:14-18), when He will take us to where eternal life dwells (Jude 1:24). That is why Paul speaks about “the hope of eternal life” (Ti. 1:2, 3:7). This is not a contradiction, since at the moment we believed we received eternal life. At the same time we were put on a path that leads to eternal life – to the realm where the eternal life dwells and where we will dwell with Him.

Paul explained that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5) and that the Holy Spirit was “poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Ti. 3:6 NASB). On the day of Pentecost, Peter said that Jesus of Nazareth had been “exalted to the right hand of God” and that “having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33 NKJV). In the house of Cornelius, Peter testified that “the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also” (10:45). Praise God for the riches of His grace, manifested by the triune God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

ENDNOTES
1 Before he started his missionary journeys, Paul, together with Barnabas, brought financial support from Antioch to Jerusalem (Acts 11:29-30). Perhaps Titus went along with them, if Galatans 2:1-3 refers to that trip. Others think that this last quotation refers to the Jerusalem council described in Acts 15.
2 This journey to Rome is sometimes called Paul’s fourth missionary journey.
3 The New Testament refers to Crete or Cretans seven times by name (Acts 2:11, 27:7,12,13,21; Ti. 1:5,12).
4 Six times in the pastoral epistles Paul refers to God as our Savior (1 Tim. 1:1, 2:3; 4:10; Ti. 1:3, 2:10, 3:4).
5 Litfin, A. D. (1985). Titus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 761). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Magazine October 2018

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Emphasis: Matters Need To Be Addressed -Paul Alberts
Worship: Thine Is The Love, Lord, That Draws Us Together -Agnes Mary Harding
Feature: Good Health In Crete -Martin Girard
Feature: Lessons From The Book Of Titus -Alfred Bouter
Feature: Some Thoughts On The Epistle To Titus -Alan H. Crosby
Discover: Discover Questions -Alan Groth
Uplook: Several Points About Trials -Hamilton Smith
Issues: Suicide And The Believer -Timothy P. Hadley
Series: Why Did Jesus Come? -Shereen Ghobrial
Family: What Is Your Attitude Toward Your Household? -H. A. Ironside
Response: Responses
Overview: 2 Thessalonians -Leslie M. Grant
YouAsked: Is the Christian faith a blind faith? -Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.
GoodNews: What Is At The Bottom Of Our Troubles?
Full Magazine PDF: Magazine PDF

Good Health In Crete

By Martin Girard, adapted with permission from Skyway Messages

“A treasure trove of history, rugged beauty, gorgeous beaches and sizzling summer temperatures.”

These words were used in a holiday brochure to describe the island of Crete. Today if you visit any international airport in Western Europe specializing in holiday flights, you may well see “Chania” and “Heraklion,” the two largest cities on Crete, on the flight arrival and departure screens. It is hardly surprising that people would want to visit such resorts. If the averages are anything to go by, you can expect temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and seven hours of sunshine each day, even in the autumn! Crete is the most southerly island in the Mediterranean, with the result that tourists are guaranteed a deep tan in the strong sunshine.
A long, narrow island, Crete is about 160 miles from end to end. Although there are plenty of sandy beaches, the island scenery is spectacular with a wild landscape and mountains rising 8,000 feet above the sea. There are olive groves and vineyards, and oranges can be seen growing. The island also boasts of Europe’s longest gorge – the Samaria Gorge.

Crete is steeped in history and is said to be the birthplace of western civilization some 5,000 years ago. The population is a little more than half a million, and the island is easy to reach today by air. However, journeys 2,000 years ago were not as simple. Artemas or Tychicus, when sent to Crete by the apostle Paul (Ti. 3:12), would have had to make a sea crossing – probably from Greece. As we know from the account of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27, dangers could be encountered when weather conditions suddenly deteriorated.

A Letter Sent
Long before the days of established postal services or electronic communications, a man sent a letter to his young friend in Crete. It is preserved for us in the Word of God as Paul’s Epistle to Titus. Times may have changed, but the message of this inspired letter has not. Matters that are relevant to life today can be discovered within this brief epistle.

Titus was an uncircumcised Greek (Gal. 2:3) who was evidently led to the Lord by Paul – hence he is called “mine own son” by the apostle (Ti. 1:4 KJV). He had accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem and was also involved in service for the Lord in Corinth. There are a number of references to him in 2 Corinthians. Afterwards he had helped Paul to evangelize Crete and then stayed on for follow-up work (Ti. 1:5). When Artemis or Tychicus arrived in the island, Titus was to leave Crete and meet Paul on the Greek mainland.

In brochures today we are told that the local people in Crete are “warm and friendly,” but that was not always the case. The reference to them being “liars, evil beasts, slow bellies [lazy gluttons]” in Paul’s day (v.12) is hardly flattering. However, a work needed to be done there, and Titus was an experienced individual who could be entrusted with the ministry Paul had in mind.

The Need For Elders
After Paul’s introduction, in which he confirmed the divine authority that he possessed, this servant of God turned to the task that was urgently needed. Certain things were not right. Disorder prevailed in some places, which was why Paul instructed Titus to “set in order” the things that were lacking (v.5). How easily things can lapse into an unthinking routine that has no sense of spiritual urgency! It was vital that true men of God, who could lead the church according to the divine pattern, be recognized. In every city where believers met together God intended that His flock should be shepherded by suitably qualified men. In order for Titus to identify them, Paul listed the features that should be evident in their lives (vv.5-9).

Men of the same calibre are needed to lead the flock of God today. All too often churches treat a passage like this casually and appoint as leaders men – or wrongly, women – because of their business abilities and social skills. Paul’s list mentions no such qualities. Instead, it describes a man “holding fast the faithful Word as he hath been taught” (v.9). God is most concerned with having leaders who know the truth as given and cling to it. He has no use for goals to modernize or make it more fashionable for the current day.

Good Health
An interesting expression occurs five times in this epistle. The Greek word hugiaino (v.9), translated as “sound doctrine,” gives us our English word “hygienic.” A strong rebuke was needed so any local believers who were living unruly lives would become “sound in the faith” – meaning spiritually healthy (v.13).

Titus himself was to teach truths that would promote “sound doctrine” (2:1). While it is important to be correct scripturally, Paul’s concern was not simply for an academic grasp of the truth. Spiritual health is a very practical matter, as can be seen in the second chapter of Titus. The older men in the churches were to be “sound in faith” (v.2) and reflect it by their godly lives. Older women also were to exemplify holy living and teach younger women how to conduct their lives in a God-glorifying way. Younger men were to be pure in their relationships (vv.1-6).

All of this is very practical and applicable to life today. Titus himself was to set an example to the young men and use “sound speech” in his conversation with them (2:7-8) in order to promote their spiritual health.

Good Works
In addition to good spiritual health, this epistle developed the theme of good works. Those who merely profess to know God are “reprobate,” or wicked, and unable to display good works in their lives (1:16). The life of Titus was to be “a pattern of good works” (2:7) which others could follow. Although “works of righteousness” (3:5) play no part whatever in our own salvation, believers should be “zealous” for good works (2:14). We need to be “ready” to do what is good (3:1) and seek to “maintain good works” (v.8) in our daily lives. Good works are part of fruitful Christian living (v.14).

The Christian life must be lived out in the context of an ungodly world. The carnal – worldly and fleshly – spirit that characterized the Cretans is with us still and needs to be rebuked. God, by His mercy, saves souls, and His grace is constantly available to equip His people for every task they face each day.